Healthy Goats – Using Management Tools to Create Healthy Goat Herds

Worm control in individual goats can be achieved by paying attention to:

• Signs of worms
• Monitoring worm egg counts
• Using the right dose and delivery method of effective drenches

However, long-term control relies on an extra suite of tools to achieve ‘next level’ healthy goat herds. Choose the methods most suitable for your own healthy goat farm.

Nutrition

Goats are preferential browsers and like to eat from shrubs and high up on the sward of grasses. This behavioural trait allows them to avoid low grass blades where the concentration of worms is very high.

Goats on high energy and protein diets have improved ‘resilience’ to worms and are able to withstand worm challenges that would be devastating to goats on lower planes of nutrition.

Monitoring pasture quality using feed tests or pasture tools enables producers to match the feed available with the need of the herd. The Feedbase Monitor is a tool for grazing management.

Providing supplementary feed (hay, grain, pellets) to goats allows them to overcome shortfalls in the pastures and maintain good body condition score. The most common deficiencies are in energy and protein, but goats may suffer from insufficient fibre or trace materials.

Zero-graze systems, with goats taken off pasture and fed cut grass or mixed feeds, are a high level of management that allows goats to have maximum production due to the removal of worm challenge.

Diagnostics

Worm egg counts taken from dung samples enable goat producers to monitor the worm burden of their herd and be proactive about management interventions to minimise worm challenges. Accredited laboratories have been audited under the ParaBoss WEC QA program.

Identification of worm species, using larval culture is an important part of monitoring because:

1. Different worm species have varying resistance patterns to drenches
2. Thresholds for intervention differ due to varying impact and worm egg production of worm species

The Drench Decision Guide will assist with decisions for treatment.

Worm/Faecal egg count reduction tests allow producers to worm out which drenches work on which worms. A Drench Check or Drench Test involves taking worm egg counts on the day of treatment and then again 14 days later. Comparing the counts will tell you how well each drench kills each type of worm present.

Processor feedback including the Livestock Data Link gives details of conditions detected at abattoirs and enables producers to put in place measures to control diseases detected.

Breeding

Goats can be selected for resistance to worms. The simplest way to do this is to choose sires with favourable Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) that correspond with low worm egg counts. Goat studs can test their stock and have EBVs calculated under KIDPLAN.

KIDPLAN helps commercial goat producers choose the appropriate sires for their own herd.

FAMACHA scores can also be used to choose breeding animals as it correlates with resilience against barber’s pole worms. Scour or dag scores can also be used to select for resistance to scour worms.  

Animal monitoring

Weighing animals on a regular basis allows producers to see if growth rates are in line with feed and conditions. It also provides an early warning to see if goats are impacted by worms or other diseases.

Body condition score is a simple and repeatable way to measure the impact of nutrition or worms on a herd of goats. Assess monthly to see trends in your herd.

FAMACHA is a simple means of monitoring the estimate of anaemia by examining the colour of the lower eyelid of the goats and comparing it with a reference card. Courses are available to help producers acquire the skills to do reliable testing.

Scours (diarrhoea) and dags are signs of worms, but may also occur in other conditions such as lush pasture or enteritis.

Production levels e.g. of milk will be heavily impacted by high worm burdens, so monitoring production levels can give an early sign of increasing worms. 

Grazing management

Goats contaminate pastures with worm larvae. If they are then left in the same paddock, they will pick up these larvae as they graze and re-infect themselves. Young, pregnant, and lactating goats are especially susceptible to worm infestation, so it is beneficial to prepare low-risk paddocks for these mobs.

Rotation, alternating, and spelling of paddocks will prevent the uptake of fresh worm larvae and cause the larvae on pastures to die out.

Alternating with cattle or horses is a useful way to decrease contamination, but since goats and sheep mostly share the same worms, it is not a good idea to co-graze or use sheep for alternating paddock use.

Rotating paddocks every 4 days prevents auto-infection with larvae developed from eggs the goats dropped, while rotating every 21 days stops re-infection with larvae developed from larvae picked up in that paddock.

Devise your own pasture rotation program based on season, stocking rate, number of paddocks, feed supplementation, and pasture availability.

Annual program and advisors

Your advisor can assist you to develop an annual program based on your region and the risks to your goat herd.

Your veterinarian will assist with advice on all aspects of goat health including diagnostic tests and correct drench selection and dose rates. All drenches for goats are used ‘off-label’ and will require veterinary scripts for legal compliance.

You can improve your own goat worm control skills by watching ParaBoss webinars, reading the wormboss online materials, or become an advisor by taking the ParaBoss certificate course.